| NCCU’s NAACP Is Revived |  |
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| By Christina Allison -- Black College Wire | |
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North Carolina Central’s NAACP student chapter has long struggled to promote chapter awareness and remain an active organization. In fact, many NCCU students don’t know for what the acronym stands. Deanna Davis, a first year biology student, said she didn’t know anything about the NAACP. And Borne Sanders, a second-year computer science student, said NAACP stood for the “National Association of… I'm done." Chapter president Desiree Parker, a third-year political science and public administration student, is determined to change the lack of awareness on campus. 
Morgan Crutchfield/Campus Echo
Desiree Parker (center) with her assistant at an NAACP planning meeting for the group’s trip to the MLK dedication
"My parents taught me to do the right thing and to believe in myself — no matter if you're standing alone," said Parker, explaining her political activism. During her internship, Parker took calls from citizens across the state, who described their issues and problems. Parker said she wants to see an active and vibrant NAACP chapter at NCCU, and with 73 members she has tripled NCCU's NAACP membership. Parker spearheaded the Oct. 16 student trip to the MLK Memorial dedication by writing a $2,500 funding proposal to the Office of Student Affairs. The chapter is planning a trip to HK on J, or Historic Thousands on Jones Street, an annual progressive rally held in Raleigh. "We as a people need to actively engage our brothers and sisters to help fight some of these issues that we are facing," Parker said. "Our parents, grandparents, mothers, fathers and ancestors have paved the way for us to speak freely. "We should all take this opportunity and continue the legacy for the next generation of students." There are more than 400 NAACP youth and college chapters, according to the association's website. The NAACP was founded by a group of black and white liberals and intellectuals in 1909 after a wave of lynchings across the United States and a 1908 race riot in Springfield, Ill. Today the association has about 500,000 members. Its membership peaked in 1964 at 625,000. Among other things the association's mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all citizens," and "to achieve equality of rights and eliminate race prejudice among the citizens of the U.S." NCCU's NAACP previous president, history and secondary education senior Nicholas Green, is currently president of the NAACP's North Carolina Youth and College Division. Christina Allison writes for the Campus Echo, the North Carolina Central University student newspaper, which originally published this article. |
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| Posted Nov. 22, 2011 |
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